[Harp-L] Re: Harmonica shelf space, prices



In the late 80s / early 90s I had a partnership with a friend who had a music store in Hamburg, before the advent of online sales. My side of the deal was choosing stock, placing orders, sending out mail order and being available one afternoon a week for consultation & repairs. At first we had a nice display cabinet which was prominently placed next to the counter, and a fairly large window display. We sold a considerable quantity of harps. As time passed, my friend began stocking ever more guitar accessories such as effect units and needed somewhere to display them, so he started using the display space in the cabinet and the window which was formerly used for harps. Harmonica sales fell in direct proportion to the size of the display.

I know of only one bricks & mortar music store in Germany where harmonica players receive really competent service. This is because the guy who runs the brass department plays himself and also does repairs. Virtually all music stores see harmonicas somewhere on the level of recorders or kazoos and lack the most basic competence regarding the instrument. Sadly, this doesn't really seem to matter, as most of their customers tend to be casual players or impulse buyers. Today this automatically leads "serious" (hahaha) players to seek out more reliable sources, unless they have a friendly personal relationship wih people in a good professional shop who will order what they require, give them decent prices and ensure a basic level of service. By and large the online shops are a godsend for harmonica players. If good music stores had staff who knew something about the instrument, however, in my experience they could certainly increase their sales due to the improved service. It would be difficult for them to compete with online shops pricewise though, due to the higher costs of running a bricks & mortar business.

Regarding the rising cost of Marine Bands, for many years Hohner harmonicas were routinely sold in the USA at prices which were about the same or even slightly less than European wholesale prices. What is now happening is that you guys are having to pay the same prices as everybody else. When I see how long the current Hohner Classic reeds last, I wouldn't say that the instruments are overpriced in comparison to other brands. I have yet to find a harmonica I like better. Please don't think that the Hohner company is run by greedy ogres intent on gouging harmonica players, they just have to calculate cost-effectively in order to stay in business,

Steve

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